Home > A Congressman’s hypocritical defense to cutting $20 billion from SNAP

Main menu

A Congressman’s hypocritical defense to cutting $20 billion from SNAP

By

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The New York Times has used data from EWG’s farm subsidy database to shed more light on Rep. Stephen Fincher’s (R-Tenn.) hypocritical defense of the $20 billion cuts to SNAP in the House farm bill. EWG’s database revealed that the congressman- who said Washington should not “steal” from taxpayers to support food assistance programs like SNAP- received over $3 million in farm subsidies between 1999-2012.

Using Agriculture Department data, researchers at the Environmental Working Group found that Representative Stephen Fincher, a Republican and a farmer from Frog Jump, Tenn., collected nearly $3.5 million in subsidies from 1999 to 2012. The data is part of the research group’s online farm subsidy database from which the group issues a report each year.

In 2012 alone, the data shows, Mr. Fincher received about $70,000 in direct payments, money that is given to farmers and farmland owners, even if they do not grow crops. It is unclear how much Mr. Fincher received in crop insurance subsidies because the names of people receiving the subsidies are not public. The group said most of the agriculture subsidies go to the largest, most profitable farm operations in the country. These farmers have received $265 billion in direct payments and farm insurance subsidies since 1995, federal records show.

See more coverage below:

The Maddow Blog examines the “intersection of bad policy, bad theology and hypocrisy”.

The Huffington Post takes a deeper look at the farm subsidy beneficiaries who want to cut tens of billions of dollars from SNAP.

Forbes writes Rep. Fincher is on a “mission from god” to starve the poor while pocketing millions in farm subsidies.

Rep. Fincher defends cutting funds for SNAP to a crowd in Memphis (VIDEO).

Think Progress has more on Rep. Fincher’s use of the bible to justify cuts to SNAP. Listen to the congressman’s during comments during the farm bill markup (speed ahead to 3:07:28).